Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia (APL)
Acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) is a kind of acute myeloid
leukemia (AML), which is a type of blood cancer. APL is a leukemia that can
cause a life-threatening bleeding problem called disseminated intravascular
coagulation (DIC).
APL is a problem with how blood cells grow at a certain point of
development (the promyelocyte stage). They grow in odd shapes. And they cannot do
what normal blood cells do.
Symptoms of APL include weakness and fatigue, fever, poor appetite,
easy bruising or bleeding, and weight loss.
People with APL need a special mix of cancer treatments that fight
the cancer cell growth and control the risk of life-threatening bleeding.
This type of acute leukemia tends to have a better outcome than
other types of AML.
Last Revised:
December 14, 2012
Author:
Healthwise Staff
Medical Review:
E. Gregory Thompson, MD - Internal Medicine & Brian Leber, MDCM, FRCPC - Hematology